Insulated,reinforced concrete,panel-type building unit



msumwn, REINFORCED cpucamn, "PANEL-TYPE, BUILDING mm Filed March 17,1966 April 1, 19 69 T; s. MERRILL ET AL Sheet F/G. Y 2..

., INVENTORS TAYLOR SMEHMUJLL DONALD D. JOHNSON BY MALLJNCKRODT 8MALLINCKRODT ATTORNEYS April 1, 1969 T. s. MERRILL .E AL- 3,435,580

msunnsp. REINFORCEDCONCRETELPANEL-TYPE, BUILDING UNIT Filed March 17, 1966 S t-L; of 2 INVENTORS TAYLORiMERRILL DONALD D. JOHNSON BYMALLINCKRODT 8x MALLN KR T ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,435,580INSULATED, REINFORCED CONCRETE, PANEL-TYPE BUILDING UNIT Taylor S.Merrill and Donald D. Johnson, Salt Lake City, Utah, assignors to OttoBuehner & Company, Salt Lake City, Utah, a corporation of Utah FiledMar. 17, 1966, Ser. No. 535,121 Int. Cl. E04h 3/20; E040 1/06, 1/1611.8. C1. 52405 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A curtain wallbuilding unit of panel formation, having sheet material providing onebroad face of the panel and a mesh-reinforced concrete slab providingthe opposite face. Slab insulating material is positioned between thetwo facing components of the panel, and a plurality of relatively narrowstrut pieces, mutually spaced both longitudinally and transversely ofthe panel, are fastened to the sheet material and extend through theinsulating material into embedded engagement With the mesh reinforcingof the concrete slab.

This invention relates to thermally insulated, paneltype building unitsof reinforced concrete or the like, as used in the construction ofcurtain walls supported by load-bearing, structural columns in buildingconstruction.

The panel-type, curtain wall building units of the invention havemutually opposite, broad, panel faces that provide architecturallyacceptable nd pleasing exterior and interior finish facings,respectively, for office buildings and other structures. One of thesepanel faces is provided by a metal sheet component that can be paintedand otherwise decorated; the other is provided by a concrete materialthat is cast in place and preferably utilizes an aggregate or anadditive to make it resemble building stone. Sandwiched between the twofacing materials is thermal insulation, preferably a foamed plastic. Thetwo facing materials are rigidly tied together by metal pieces that aresecured to the inside face of the metal sheet, as by welding, and to theconcrete by engagement with the reinforcement embedded therein. The edgefaces of the units can be formed in various ways, depending upon thenature of the frame members of the building, with which they mustconnect, and upon the desired manner of securing the units thereto.

In the making of the invention, principal objects were to providestructural rigidity suflicient to effectively resist self-imposedstresses and strains and external stresses and strains, such as wind andseismic vibrations, as well as impact; to provide superior insulatingproperties, with minimum weight and bulk; and to provide a desiredarchitectural finish at both broad panel faces.

These objects were accomplished by the aforedescribed rigid tying of ametal facing sheet to an opposed, reinforced, cementitious, slab facing,with thermal insulation therebetween.

Additional objects and features of the invention will become apparentfrom the following detailed description of the specific embodiments thatare illustrated in the accompanying drawings and that represent the bestmode presently contemplated of utilizing the generic inventive conceptsparticularly pointed out.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one form of the curtainwall unit of theinvention, looking toward the cementitious slab face thereof and withpart of the slab broken away to show internal structure;

FIG. 2, a fragmentary section taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1 andshowing the unit attached to a framing 3,435,583 Patented Apr. 1, 1969meinber of a building, the view being drawn to a larger sca e;

FIG. 3, a perspective view showing the interior of the metal pan thatprovides the metal sheet facing for the unit of FIG. 1 with the thermalinsulation material in place but broken away in part to reveal panconstruction;

FIG. 4, a view similar to that of FIG. 2, but showing a somewhatdilferent form of panel building unit to illustrate how panel edge facescan be varied to accommodate variations in building framing members:

FIG. 5, a corresponding view showing further variations in both panelbuilding unit construction and its securement to a building framingmember; and

FIG. 6, a fragmentary section corresponding to the righthand portion ofFIG. 2, but illustrating a somewhat different form and arrangement ofstructural components especially suitable for large size units.

Referring to the drawings:

In the embodiments of FIGS. 1-3, the panel building unit is rectangularand comprises a metal sheet facing 10, FIG. 2, and a concrete slabfacing 11, the two being rigidly tied together by a number of relativelynarrow metal strut pieces 12, with thermal insulating material 13therebetween.

The metal sheet facing 10 is provided by the bottom of a broad andshallow, rectangular pan 14 of sheet metal, for example, twenty gaugemild steel, preferably specially treated at least on its exposed surface10 for the retention of paint as is the proprietary product Paintlockproduced by Republic Steel Company.

The sides 14a and 14b of the pan 14 serve as peripheral framing for themetal-faced portion of the unit, and, in this instance, are inturned toprovide overhanging flanges 15a and 15b, respectively, for tie-in withthe concrete slab portion 16 of the unit.

For rigidly tying together the broad bottom of the metal pan 14 and theconcrete slab 16, and, thus, the metal facing 10 with the slab facing11, the strut pieces 12, here shown as formed of sheet metal, aresecured, as by welding, to the inside face of such bottom, in mutuallyspaced relationship both longitudinally and transversely of the unit, asshown, so as to project upwardly for tying engagement with thereinforcing material for the slab.

A preferred way of insulating the unit is to position appropriatelydimensioned batts of the insulating material 13, such as a foamedplastic, i.e., expanded polystyrene, in metal pan 14, so as to leave aperipheral channel 18 for the reception of the wet concrete mix, whichis cast onto the insulation and confined laterally by a suitabletemporary form structure (not shown) for defining exposed .peripheraledge faces for the slab portion 16 of the unit. Although pre-formedbatts of insulating material are preferred and are easily accommodatedby the upstanding strut pieces 12, it will be readily appreciated thatthe foamed plastic or some other type of thermal insulating material canbe formed in place by casting or blowing into a suitable form structureplaced temporarily or permanently in the pan.

The reinforcing material for the concrete slab 16 preferably comprises aheavy wire mesh 20, FIG. 1. A 2" x 2" 14/14 gauge welded wire fabric hasproven very satisfactory. With this weight reinforcing material and atwenty gauge steel pan, units of the invention have shown aload-carrying capacity of lbs./ sq. foot.

The reinforcing mesh 20 is preferably pre-formed to lie fiat on orimmediately above the tops of insulation bats 13, with its peripheralmargins bent downwardly to extend into the vicinity of peripheralchannel 18, and the sheet facing 10 as indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2,whereupon the strut pieces 12 are bent down over adjacent wires of suchmesh in engagement therewith so as to tie opposite face portions of thepanel together. Additional reinforcing bars 21 may be provided inperipheral channel 18 or otherwise, as deemed advisable in particularinstances.

Concrete slab 16 is cast into place over the insulating bats 13 andaround reinforcing mesh and bars 21, filling peripheral channel 18 andproviding the slab facing 11 for the unit. Upon setting and curing aboutthe bent upper ends of strut pieces 12 and about the reinforcing mesh 20engaged thereby, the concrete and such strut pieces establish rigidconnection of the metal facing component of the unit with the slabfacing component. The slab facing 11 can be of any ornamental characterdesired by appropriately choosing the aggregate or additives for thecementitious mix.

It should be noted that the metal skin, provided by pan 14, and theconcrete slab 16 combine to resist tension and/ or compression,depending upon how the panel building unit is utilized in buildingconstruction.

In order to enable this form of the panel building unit of the inventionto be easily secured to framing members of a building, for example, tothe steel or aluminum mullion 22, FIG. 2, by means of screws 23, it isdesirable that metal plates 24 be secured to the inside faces of thesides 14a and 14b of metal pan 14 at intervals along their lengths inany suitable manner, e.g., by cementing, and that these be backed byblocks 25 of foamed plastic or other soft filler material. In erectingthe building, it is only necessary to drill and selectively tapreceiving holes through the framing members, the sides of the pan, andthe plates 24 for screws 23, which can protrude without resistance intothe backing blocks 25.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the panel building unit 26 is of the sameconstruction as the corresponding unit of the foregoing FIGS. 1-3,except for the edge margins, which are shouldered, as at 27, byrestricting the extent of the concrete slab portion 28 of the unit so itdoes not overlap the inturned flange 29a of the metal pan 29. Thisleaves what is, in effect, rabbeted edge faces, with respective tongueportions 30 adapted to fit into receiving grooves 31 provided by mullionframing members '32 and respective, removably attached, auxiliarymembers 3-3. Sealing tape 34 is applied to both the outer and innerperipheral margins of the tongue portions 30 to provide weather seals,and interposed leaf springs 35 hold the unit tightly in place.

In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the panel building units 36 are eachconstructed with a metal pan 37, insulating material 38, and amesh-reinforced concrete slab 39 tied together by metal struts (notshown), as in the preceding embodiments, but the slab 39 completelysurrounds the sides 37a of the pan to provide peripheral edge faces ofexposed concrete, rather than metal. For a successful tie-in of theperipheral portions 390: of the concrete slab with the remainder of theslab, it is necessary to either perforate the sides 37a along theirlengths by, for example, a series of holes of say inch diameter (notshown), or to otherwise form or provide such sides with tie-inprojections that will disrupt the lines of parts existing otherwise atthe faces of such sides 37a.

To provide for welding securement of the units 36 to structural steelcolumns of the structural framework of a building, steel plates 41 areembedded in the peripheral portions 39a of the concrete slab 39 at andexposed to the inside, metal sheet face of the unit, because directwelding of the metal pan '37 to such a column 40 would buckle and deformthe pan. These plates 41 may extend continuously around the peripheralmargins of the unit or intermittently, as desired for particularinstances. In either event, they are provided with stub reinforcing bars42 projecting from welded securement to their back faces, asillustrated, and one or more reinforcing rods 43 may be laid in theconcrete transversely thereof.

In attaching these units 36 to columns 40, an inter- 4 mediate steelplate 44 is spot welded to the exposed faces of plates 41 and to thecolumn.

It should be noted that, in both embodiments of FIGS. 'l3 and FIG. 4,the sides of the metal pan can be eliminated and merely a flat metalsheet used for the pan, so long as a form is used for retaining andmolding the wet concrete that is otherwise retained and molded by thesides of the pan. This leaves peripheral edge faces of exposed concrete,as in the embodiment of FIG. 5, rather than of metal.

The embodiment of FIG. 6 is a very advantageous construction for largepanel building units conforming to the invention, for example, largerthan 9 sq. ft., and can be also used for the smaller units when desired.In this embodiment, the metal strut pieces are in the form of shortpieces of angle iron 45 welded to the inside faces of the metal pan 46.The bats 47 of insulating material are preferably beveled, as at 47a, toprovide V-shaped channels 48 along the respective lines of strut pieces,into which wet concrete will flow during the casting of the slab portion49 of the unit, and, when set and cured, will provide steel-reinforced,slab-reinforcing, concrete ribs 49a for the unit.

Slab-reinforcing, steel mesh 50 is provided, as in the precedingembodiments, but, in this instance, is literally tied into the strutpieces 45 by means of tie wires 51 passing through receiving holes 52provided in the upper ends of such str-ut pieces 45. The peripheral edgedetails of this unit can be shown in any of the preceding embodiments.

It should be realized that there are many possible peripheral edgeconstructions that can be employed for each of the various embodimentsof panel building units of the invention, depending upon the particularscheme of structural framing employed by any given builder, and thatadapting these to the structural concepts here disclosed will be wellwithin the skill of the art.

It should also be realized that, although it is highly advantageous toutilize sheet steel to provide the one panel face of the unit and steelstruts welded to the inside face of such sheet, other sheet facingmaterial can be used in place of the sheet steel, within the broadestpurview of the invention, and other rigid material can be used for thestruts and can be securely fastened in some other way to the sheetfacing material. Also, although concrete made of Portland cement and aconventional aggregate is preferred for the concrete slab, otherconcretious materials utilizing various bonding agents can be employed,as can various natural and artificial stone and other materials asornamental insets in the exposed face of the slab.

Whereas this invention is here described and illustrated with respect tocertain forms thereof, it is to be understood that many variations arepossible.

We claim:

1. A curtain wall building unit of composite panel type, comprisingstructural sheet material at one of the broad panel faces of the unitproviding, exteriorly thereof, an interior finish panel face for theunit; a concrete slab at the opposite broad panel face of the unitproviding, exteriorly thereof, an exterior finish panel face for theunit, the peripheral margins of said slab being in face-to-faceengagement with peripheral marginal portions of said sheet material andintermediate portions of said slab being spaced apart from correspondingintermediate portions of said sheet material to provide a recess for thereception of insulating material; structural reinforcing mesh embeddedin said slab, with its peripheral margins bent toward and into thevicinity of said sheet material and the periphery thereof surroundingsaid recess; a plurality of relatively narrow, rigid struts distributedin mutually spaced relationship along both the length and the breadth ofsaid unit, each being securely fastened at one of its ends to said sheetand extending into tying engagement with said reinforcing meshintermediate the said bent margins thereof; and thermal insulatingmaterial sandwiched between said intermediate portions of said sheetmaterial and said slab and surrounding said struts.

2. A panel building unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein theinsulation material is channeled substantially to the inside face of thesheet facing material along lines joining pluralities of the struts, andportions of the slab extend into the channels and embed the said strutsto provide reinforced concrete ribs as reinforcements for said slab.

5. A panel building unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the strutsare connected at their free extremities to the structural reinforcing ofthe slab by means of wire ties.

4. A panel building unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the freeextremities of the struts are tied to the structural reinforcement ofthe slab by being bent over said structural reinforcement.

5. A panel building unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the sheetfacing material has enclosing sides forming an externally closed paninto which peripheral marginal portions of the slab extend inface-to-face engagement with the sheet facing material.

6. A panel building unit in accordance with claim 5, wherein the sidesof the pan terminate in inturned flanges overhanging the interior of thepan and encased in the concrete slab, leaving the lateral sides of theslab exposed therebeyond.

7. A panel building unit in accordance with claim 6, wherein theconcrete slab terminates short of the inturned flanges, leavingperipherally projecting tongues encased by the sheet facing material.

8. A panel building unit in accordance with claim 5, wherein relativelysmall blocks of insulating material are secured to the inside faces ofthe sides of the pan at intervals along the lengths thereof forreceiving screws in the seourement of the unit to structural frameworkof a building.

9. A panel building unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the sheetmaterial terminates short of peripheral margins of the one panel face ofthe unit, such margins being provided by peripheral portions of theconcrete slab; and wherein steel plates are embedded in said portions ofthe concrete slab, with one face of each exposed at said one panel faceof the unit to provide areas for welding to supporting frame members ofbuilding construction.

10. A panel building unit in accordance with claim 9, wherein stubreinforcing members extend from securement to embedded faces of thesteel plates into the peripheral portions of the concrete slab as partof the structural reinforcing thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,661,183 3/1928 Junkers 52405 X1,796,048 3/ 1931 Robinson 52-601 X 1,915,896 6/ 1933 Maul 525991,959,083 5/1'934 Maul 52597 2,151,148 3/1939 Plumb 52576 X 2,961,80411/ 1960 Bec'kman 52599 X FOREIGN PATENTS 674,328 11/1963 Canada.

ALFRED C. PERHAM, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R- 52576, 597, 599

